New UFC deal for Holly Holm and ‘possible’ fight before a Ronda Rousey rematch
Holly Holm’s next opponent is still a mystery.
Women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC President Dana White told The Times.
Now, White is in the process of establishing when she’ll fight next.
“I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do,” White told The Times in a Monday telephone conversation.
Holm, 34, won the bantamweight belt in November in Australia, stunning previously unbeaten champion Ronda Rousey of Venice by a second-round knockout that came on a vicious head kick.
White originally aimed for Holm and Rousey to have a rematch at UFC 200 on July 9 at the new Las Vegas arena, but he said Monday that intention has yet to be finalized.
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“I’ve got to talk to Ronda,” White said. “I haven’t had one business conversation with her since her fight.”
While Rousey said in an interview last month that she plans to return to “beat that chick,” meaning Holm, she might determine it’s in her best interest to take a confidence-building interim bout after the devastating defeat.
Holm’s manager, Lenny Fresquez, told The Times last month that he preferred Holm fighting before the July date, with Miesha Tate considered his top choice.
White originally rejected that idea, but when asked Monday about Holm fighting before a Rousey rematch, White said, “It’s possible.
“We have nothing done yet,” for either fighters’ next bout, White said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
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White and Fresquez didn’t reveal the terms of her multi-million-dollar deal, but the extension is believed to be for eight fights.
Holm (10-0) originally signed a four-fight deal with the UFC in 2013, and she has won three UFC bouts.
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